Treasure Ship of Zheng He

1405

(Ulrich Rudofsky UR-ZH)

Class: Treasure Ship

Displacement: 1,500 tons

Dimensions: 416 x 170 ft.

Armament: 12 cannon

Complement:

Built: China

Launched: 1405

Service: Between 1405 and 1433, the Ming government sponsored a series of seven naval expeditions to the Indian Ocean, going as far as East Africa and the Persian Gulf. Emperor Yongle assigned the Muslim eunuch Zheng He as Admiral for these expeditions. His first expedition reportedly consisted of 27,800 men and included 62 treasure ships and 190 smaller ships. The exact size of the treasure ships is disputed by contemporary scholars, but the treasure ships were probably exceptionally large by contemporary European standards.